George D. Forney

Infobox Scientist
name = George D. Forney

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awards = IEEE Edison Medal


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George David Forney, Jr. (born in New York City in 1940) is an electrical engineer who has made contributions in telecommunication system theory, specifically in coding theory and information theory.

He received the B.S.E. degree in Electrical Engineering from Princeton University in 1961, summa cum laude, and the M.S. and Sc.D degrees in Electrical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1963 and 1965, respectively.He is a member of the United States National Academy of Engineering (1989) and National Academy of Sciences (2003). He is a long-time faculty member at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Among other things, he is generally credited with being the first to recognize the optimality and practical importance of the Viterbi algorithm [http://arxiv.org/abs/cs/0504020v2] , and his tutorial paper on the subject is widely cited [G. D. Forney. [http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/search/wrapper.jsp?arnumber=1450960 The Viterbi algorithm] . "Proceedings of the IEEE" 61(3):268–278, March 1973.] . His work in the Viterbi algorithm and in advancing the understanding of coding theory in general has influenced the design of modern digital modems.

He received the IEEE Edison Medal in 1992 'for original contributions to coding, modulation, data communication modems, and for industrial and research leadership in communications technology.'

Notes and references

External links

* [http://www.ieee.org/web/aboutus/history_center/biography/forney.html Biography] from the IEEE History Center.
* [http://arxiv.org/find/grp_cs/1/au:+forney/0/1/0/all/0/1 Recent publications] at the Arxiv.